FRISCO, Texas — George Pickens has never been to Brazil. The Dallas Cowboys receiver said Wednesday at The Star that he will not leave the team hotel in Rio de Janeiro.
The Cowboys practice Thursday in Frisco and fly out that night. Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium is the first regular-season NFL game in Rio. Dallas is the designated home team.
Seeing whether Cowboys fans turn out in Brazil is the first thing on Pickens’ mind.
“Super excited,” Pickens said. “That’s literally like the first thing I’m thinking about, to see if we got fans out there. It’s a lot of them.”
Some Cowboys, Pickens included, have never been to Brazil, which he said makes skipping the sightseeing harder.
“It’s gonna be super hard just because some guys like me and some other people on the team just haven’t even been there,” Pickens explained. “But definitely knowing what the goal is at the end of the day.”
Staying in should be something the players want, Pickens said.
“Yeah, definitely,” Pickens said. “And then, like I said, it should be kind of a want-to from the guys. Kind of stay locked in and get the mission done.”
George Pickens On Staying In Dallas Cowboys Hotel In Rio
The size of the Cowboys’ brand is the reason Pickens gave for staying put.
“Definitely just being safe,” Pickens said. “I feel like the brand we have is a lot bigger to risk just because, like you said, we’ve got fans out there. It’s a bigger brand. So definitely want to stay safe just because you don’t want to risk that as a team.”
Pickens does not plan to leave the hotel at all.
“No,” Pickens said. “I mean, I’m not going to be leaving the hotel.”
George Pickens On Cleats And 10-Hour Flight
Maracanã has taken unusually heavy rain over the past six weeks. NFL field director Nick Pappas told The Associated Press that the league shipped a tarp to Rio to protect the turf. Pickens is packing a ton of cleats.
“Yeah, definitely a ton,” Pickens said. “And different types as well. Just because, like I said, a lot of the guys ain’t never been in Brazil, including myself. So just to, like you say, test out the field and see how it is and stuff like that.”
“To be honest, I wouldn’t even really know,” Pickens continued. “I would think more soccer, just because that’s a terrain they play on out there a lot. But honestly, I wouldn’t know.”
Pickens’ longest flight before this one was six or seven hours.
“Yeah, that’s my biggest, that’s what more I’ve been thinking about, just how long the flight is,” Pickens said. “I’ve never been on like a 10-hour, 11-hour flight, so I get sleep until you can’t sleep no more. So honestly, for real, I ain’t never been on a flight that long.”
“Yeah, I’m going to need that for sure,” Pickens added of a seat that leans back. “That’s another thing, if you’re on a 10-hour flight with no lay-back, that’s going to hurt.”
Kickoff Sunday is 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.
